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Reviews

My son will be attending Portal for the 3rd year, and I couldn't be happier. I am always impressed with the projects they complete in class. I know that he is getting a great foundation for future learning.

- submitted by a
parent

June 04, 2014

I have 2 kids in this school (1 passing out this year) and I love it. The multi age village system is very good for the kids. They get to grow in the same familiar environment for 2 years; first year as a younger resident with many older kids helping and guiding them and the next year they take on the role of the guide. I haven't heard of any bullying etc. which can be a concern in a multi-age class. I love Project Cornerstone. Teachers go the extra mile with academics and school plays. I did not feel the need to send my kids' to extra academic training outside of school. 2 Parent-Teacher conference every academic-year is great as compared to only 1 in other schools. I wish they had the gifted-kids program & spell-bee/geography-bee/math-Olympiad/science-fair/ elocution/ debate kind of competitions. School used to have after-school Hindi etc. classes, don't know why its been discontinued. I like their band program too. The parents get many opportunities to volunteer, be it in class or field-trip. Overall the school is doing a wonderful job.

- submitted by a
parent

May 18, 2013

I was little worried about my daughter when she got admission to Portal School because of she being the youngest in the class. But with the support of teacher I could see the immense change in her in a year. Love the way they teach and motivate kids to learn and even motivate parents in participating in all the activities that occur. And one best thing I liked is the way they keep note of each and everything the child does. I always get a note for what my child did in each subject. For example; During sharing time what all my child spoke all points were noted down and handed over to us. The conclusion is that the best school with best teachers.

- submitted by a
parent

February 09, 2013

Overall, I think this is good school. My daughter has been there for some years and the new principal feels like a good leader. I think she does not want it to be as academic oriented as it used to be and I welcome that because it seemed like it was getting too academic and the scores were most important and it was not about the school experience. Just my opinion. I wish there was a gifted program for kids because I feel my child can do more, but isn't always allowed to move further ahead. But I like the school and she has a great time.

- submitted by a
parent

October 13, 2011

The multi-age, village based learning environments are just one of the few reasons Murdock Portal is such a great school. It has year round academic calendar aimed to ensure that students retain more as they grow... and some of the homework is project-based letting them use their own creativity and collaboration with parents. The Principal is deeply committed and is a constant presence in most of the activities. The teachers regularly communicate with the parents through emails and blogs and that keeps the parents well-informed all the time. The PTA (PSCO) manages quite a few activities throughout the year including Lunch Clubs, Enrichment Programs and Instructional Aids just to name a few. Overall, Murdock Portal Elementary is a great combination of an effective learning program, efficient teachers and steady leadership of the Principal.

- submitted by a
parent

May 19, 2010

Portal school has good staff and better education.

- submitted by a
parent

no ratingMay 11, 2010

My kids learn a lot from the multi-age class.The teachers and the staff are very supportive. The parents are fantastic and contribute a lot to the spirit of the school.

- submitted by a
parent

no ratingMay 08, 2010

My kids learn a lot from the multi-age class and the semi year round school calendar. The teachers and the staff are great and supportive. Lots of parents participate, and kids love the school.

- submitted by a
parent

no ratingMay 08, 2010

My kids love the multiage school class. They learn a lot from older or younger kids as well. The teachers and staff are great.

- submitted by a
parent

no ratingMay 07, 2010

My son changed from one school to the other several times due to family relocations. He entered Portal last year. I have to say that Portal is the best with experienced and responsible teachers, they care about every thing the students have academically and socially. I am very happy to have my child in this outstanding school.

- submitted by a
parent

May 07, 2010

Portal is a great school - great teachers - excellent and well rounded curriculum.

- submitted by a
parent

May 07, 2010

Love this school, excellent staff and my kid is having a blast at school. I have been talking high about portal with my friends and have been encouraging them to apply for the lottery every year.

- submitted by a
parent

no ratingMay 07, 2010

I have four children, two have gone through and are in high school and two are still there. Murdock-Portal builds extremely well rounded balanced kids through multi-age villages, modified year-round schedule and team teaching.

- submitted by a
parent

no ratingMay 07, 2010

The teachers are great and very responible.

- submitted by a
parent

no ratingMay 06, 2010

This is a great school. My son has been to three very good school but we were not satisfied with the academics. We are very happy with this school.

- submitted by a
parent

October 30, 2009

This review submitted without content.

- submitted by a
parent

September 15, 2009

I am lucky to have my son in this school. He is in 3rd grade and I can see that principal and also lovely teachers contribute a lot in his social as well as academic development

- submitted by a
parent

December 19, 2008

This review submitted without content.

- submitted by a
parent

March 12, 2008

This review submitted without content.

- submitted by a
student

no ratingAugust 31, 2007

It is a very well balanced school. My three kids are all in Portal .They love the school since they have so much fun there. The teachers are very friendly and communicate effectively with the parents. The village based, multi-age learning environment are very unique and works very well. BTW, its running club program really rocks.

- submitted by a
parent

August 29, 2007

I think the school is overall decent school. However I do see that the school needs to improve the language arts programs where more emphasis is given to reading and writing programs. Lets face it all Cupertino schools are not diverse anymore and most of the kids speak different languages at home and so schools need to change the strategy and focus more resources on reading program and writing strategy. Also the number of volunteers is dwindling since people feel if they have donated the money, they don't need to volunteer. Very few extra curricular activities for lower grades.

- submitted by a
parent

March 28, 2007

Very good academic program. My daughter has been going to this school since 2005 starting her Kindergarden. The principal is very involved and friendly to approach both by parents and students. She loves her job so are all the teachers. The school is truly all rounded, great emphasis on creativity in many areas including in the main subject areas Writing, reading, and math. My daughter loves the school. Teachers not only care for academic development they also care for social and physical. Teacher communication is awesome. Great technology right in class. Some parents are too hung-up on scores. This is been balanced at school. I wish school doesn't have appeal to parents to give the mandatory donation so that they can focus on actual school activities. I do agree not many after school activities are available compared to other schools. I wish there is better diversity.

- submitted by a
parent

March 27, 2007

We like the school a lot for its balanced and overall approach to academic and social learning. The 2-year village concept is definitely a big plus for social interactions. There are lots of opportunities for extra-curricular activities and field trips. Technology immersion has been blended well. But the best aspect is that the teachers and the Principal truly care for the kids' overall personality development. However, the parents' personal involvement is only average, partly becuase monetary support is expected.

- submitted by a
parent

February 22, 2007

The teachers are exceptional - creative, committed, and very accessible. The principal, Leslie Mains, is well-respected by parents, students, and teachers. My favorite thing about Portal is that you feel like you truly have hit the lottery - you are in a very special place. My only concern about the school is the lack of diversity. That said, I think it's a great opportunity for our children (who are white) to experience a small bit of what it is like to be a minority. My kids have had a fantastic academic and social experience at this amazing school!

- submitted by a
parent

April 11, 2006

I have my son going to this school. It is a great school. My son loves it. The principal and the teachers are great. There is good level of parent involvement.Very happy with the school.

- submitted by a
parent

March 21, 2006

The academic quality is very high for this school, I believe it has to do with the school's philosophy. The school struggles a bit with the kids that are at the low end of the standard. There aren't many of these kids so it makes it tough for the teachers. Great music and art programs, all funded by the parents. The parent community also funds extra physical education for all k-5 students, they enhance the district funding. Parental involvement is expected but not required. Some parents spend many hours helping, others only when they can.

- submitted by a
parent

January 12, 2006

High academic standard yet encourages extra-curricular activities.

- submitted by a
parent

August 19, 2005

Academic programs are very comprehensive. Extracurricular activities aren't as available though there seems to be an effort to add more after school activities this school year.

- submitted by a
parent

June 22, 2005

Portal is an exceptional school that is very focused on achieving high academic ratings. Originally, this alternative school was all about improving the educational experience, however it seems to have given that over to pursuing high test scores. Parents used to much more involved 4-5 years ago, however that is no longer true. A great school, however not the same school as originally envisioned. The school is now much more like the other Cupertino schools like Faria than McAuliffe.

- submitted by a
parent

April 21, 2005

This review submitted without content.

- submitted by a
parent

February 26, 2005

The one thing that hits you immediately about this school is how genuinely happy the teachers at the school are. The teaching methods are very creative and hands on. The other dominant point is the extremely high level of parent involvement which typically translates into some very useful after school programs and sufficient fund raising to support the various after school programs. The third thing that stands out is the use of multi-age classrooms which translates into effective social skills. Kids are exposed to literature circles, creative projects, useful field trips and math explorations. There is no gate program per se but all kids are given eqaul access to demanding work. Greater capability gets more demanding work. The school plays are outstanding. The teachers are very nice.

- submitted by a
parent

February 26, 2005

Portal has a very good academic program. The level of parent involvement is high. School does provide a music program which is nice.

- submitted by a
parent

February 26, 2005

The school has high parent involvement. The teacher are very good. Creativity is definitely promoted. The school plays are fantastic. The teachers put in a lot of effort into teaching.

- submitted by a
parent

January 07, 2005

Academic programs at Portal are excellent. I am very impressed with the methods of teaching and the content. I have compared what is taught at Portal to some of the other schools and I am happy that my daughter goes to Portal. Music, art and sports is part of their weekly activities. They also have performances where students perform in front of parents. Once a year Portal has cultural programs where students display a performance from their own culture. Parent involvement is a major part of Portal. Parents are involved from helping in class to raising funds, organizing events etc. In fact parents are a part of everything that happens at Portal.

- submitted by a
parent

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